Age Four by October 15th
Introduce, Teach, Master and Build
Pre-Kindergarten – Junior Kindergarten – A Joyful Noise Preschool’s Junior Kindergarten is a special pre-kindergarten program where students can begin the exciting process of building a foundation for learning that will stay with them throughout their lifetime. Junior Kindergarten is specifically designed for children who have missed the Kindergarten birthday cut-off or do not intend to start Kindergarten until six years of age, are four years of age by October 15th and have successfully demonstrated emotional, social and academic readiness for the program. Students in the Junior Kindergarten program will need to be enrolled 5 days a week.
A Joyful Noise Preschool’s exceptional Junior Kindergarten program is designed to develop children’s self-esteem and sense of responsibility as they learn to work more independently to become good citizens. Our Junior Kindergarteners are taught, loved, nourished and gently guided by our highly experienced and caring staff. Adult/child ratios are intentionally kept low in order to provide individual attention for each student. Introduce, teach, master and build are the teaching strategies on which this program is based. AJNP teachers implement the Maine State Common Core sequencing to provide a foundation of strong Social, emotional, cognitive, fine motor and gross motor skill development to support the children as they transition to Kindergarten. In November, after extensive observation and assessment, an Education Plan will be developed for each student. This EP will act as a blueprint for the teachers, parents and other adults in each child’s life to follow in order to help the child reach his or her developmental potential.
The educational focus in A Joyful Noise Preschool’s unique, high-quality Junior Kindergarten class is on establishing a variety of important early childhood education skills including:
- Beginning reading
- Writing
- Basic math
In addition to exploring all the objectives outlined in the regular three day program (please see Preschool Program description), the Junior Kindergarten class is introduced to a more formalized reading and math readiness program. We use the A Beka K4 and K5 curriculum for phonics and mathematics. The Junior Kindergarten day is slightly more structured than the regular three day program, preparing students for their transition to Kindergarten. Of course, plenty of time to learn through independent play is apportioned. Some formal classes included in the Junior Kindergarten instruction are physical education, art and music. Computers are used to further enhance their academic skills as well as beginning their journey toward technological knowledge and experience.
During the early part of the day, the children meet together in a larger group setting. The balance of the morning is then spent working in small groups and learning centers. The use of manipulatives enhances their understanding of basic mathematical concepts and an exciting phonics program sets them going on the road to reading. Along with the arts and theme-based activities, the Junior Kindergarten students are a very busy group of children and will readily tell you that learning is fun!
Other Curriculum Details
- Language: A Beka (phonics program), upper and lower case alphabet • recognition, letter sounds and blending, sequencing and story-telling, pre-reading, reading one-vowel words, reading two vowel words, sight words, basic sentence structure
- Math: Count 0-100, count by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s, recognize and write numbers • 1-20. Patterning, classifying, every day math opportunities, equations and sequencing.
- Writing: Journal keeping, storytelling and map making are utilized in the • progression of student’s writing skills through the school year.
- Science: Emphasis on day-to-day science projects including planting • flowers and vegetables, photosynthesis, the five senses, experiments with snow and ice, developing hypothesis, live animal visits, experiments with water and wind, and much more.
- Field Trips: Visits to the library, 3-4 special trips (i.e. pumpkin patch, plays/• musical performances, Huntington Commons); one trip p/month including the whole school field trips.
- Special Events: Christmas Musical and other opportunities to perform in • dance, poetry reading, singing and other talents and disciplines, and visits from Community Leaders.
